Tales from the Rainforest

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I've been fortunate this past year to log so much time in the Amazon rainforest. It can be a tough environment for extended trips; it's hot, you're in a perpetual state of sogginess from the humidity and sporadic downpours, and there are bugs constantly attempting to withdraw your blood. With that being said, the Amazon rainforest is also an unbelievably amazing place, as the jungle hosts some of the most incredible views and creatures I've ever laid eyes upon. Below you'll find a selection of my favorite jungle critter encounters from 2015, hope you enjoy!

PIT VIPER

First up, my favorite reptile encounter also happens to be the most potentially dangerous encounter. Credit goes to my girlfriend, Bri, who joined me in September and quite literally stumbled upon the Pit Viper, Bothrops atrox.

Commonly known as the lancehead, this snake claims the most lives each year in South America due to its deadly venom. We kept a safe distance while snapping photos until both us and the viper walked (and slithered, respectively) our separate ways.

TAPIR

My favorite rare mammal has to be a toss up between the Tapir and the Tayra. Both are quite elusive animals and are rarely seen, even by the locals. This counts as my second Tapir sighting - we were lucky to be so close as she was crossing the river at around 4:30 in the morning while we were on our way to the Chuncho clay lick in October.

TAYRA

The tayra is an omnivorous animal from the weasel family. We spotted this one in October near the Posada Amazonas jungle lodge while he was sneaking around searching for discarded apples.

JAGUAR

While I have yet to spot a big cat in the wild, we have captured many amazing cats on a camera trap that I helped Jeff Cremer set up a few months ago, including Jaguars, Pumas, and Ocelots. (see more of Jeff's camera trap photos here.

TENTACLED CATERPILLAR

Up next are my favorite bugs (of course). The Amazon rainforest contains the most species of insects on the planet, so as an entomologist it's really hard to play favorites. My top 3-way tie are surprisingly all caterpillars! I never considered myself to be a butterfly/moth guy, but the Amazon has quickly changed that. There seems to be no end to how strange caterpillars come in shape, size, color, and behavior in the jungle.

In March 2015, I accidentally stumbled upon a caterpillar that would become one of my most popular critter stories. We called it the "tentacled caterpillar", as it had four tentacle-like structures on its back that would "pop out" when alarmed by the sound of our voices (no, seriously).

Next up, in my opinion, is one of the coolest discoveries I've come across in the rainforest. Several months ago, I found a tree with bizarre yellow outgrowths. Upon closer inspection, I realized there were caterpillars munching on these yellow "bulbs" and ants were taking care of the caterpillars.

Immediately, I knew this had to be an unusual observation and indeed, it turned out to be a never-before-seen relationship and life history for a rare butterfly.

SLUG MOTH CATERPILLAR

Finally, we have the slug moth caterpillar. Not a very attractive name for a beautiful insect larva. Spotted in May near the Posada Amazonas lodge, I can only imagine what purpose the groovy color pattern serves.

My favorite tiny critters have been viewed through a handheld origami-style microscope that I was fortunate to test out in the Amazon rainforest starting in March 2015. Known as the Foldscope, we've observed all sorts of strange and interesting animals and structures belonging to the microcosmos including butterfly wing scales and unknown mite species.

A compilation of butterfly wing scales I’ve sampled with the Foldscope

HARPY EAGLE

My favorite bird encounter has to go to the Harpy Eagle. These amazing apex predators are rare to spot in the wild, let alone view one of their nests. In May, Jeff and I climbed 100 feet up into the canopy to photograph and film the chick before it left the nest.

PARROTS

I would be remiss if I didn't include a photo of the incredible gathering of macaws and parrots at the clay licks. No other place in the world like this!

CLATHRUS RUBER

My favorite fungus award goes to none other than the weird Clathrus ruber, which looks like something a 3-D printer messed up.

BUTTERFLIES DRINKING TURTLE TEARS

Finally, my favorite strange animal interaction has to be butterflies drinking turtle tears. They mob the unsuspecting turtles likely to gain extra nutrients such as sodium.

Overall, it has been a busy and incredible year to say the least. I owe a huge thanks to Rainforest Expeditions and the ecotourism that makes all of this work possible. While this post was about my favorite critter encounters, the people who joined me make these trips truly special. I've been joined by friends, family, researchers, science writers, photographers, and more, making every trip unique.

So last but not least, here's a quick shout out to my favorite human critters of 2015.

Filming the Harpy Eagle Nest with Jeff and Frank in May.

On the way to the Tamboapta Research Center in May with my parents.

Waiting patiently at the clay lick in July with Jason, Jeff, Fernando, and Cat.

Rainforest Expeditions

Rainforest Expeditions is a Peruvian Ecotourism company. Since 1989 our guests and lodges, have added value to standing tropical rainforest, transforming it into a competitive alternative to unsustainable economic uses, engaging local communities in its protection and carefor nature hikes and field work.